LECTURES 
 
 
 }/ f) 
 
 EXHIBITION 
 
 ^ imat/ 
 
 “««««-" if uu« 
 
 INAUGURAL ADDRESS 
 
 DELIVERED BY 
 
 / /.'— 
 
 HIS GRACE THE ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN, 
 
 IN THE EXHIBITION PAVILION, CORK, 
 
 ON THE EVENING OF TUESDAY, 29th JUNE, 1852, 
 
 ON THE OPExNING OF 
 
 A COURSE OF LECTURES, ILLUSTRATIVE OF IRISH ART, INDUSTRY, 
 AND SCIENCE. 
 
 CORK : 
 
 PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY 
 
 GEOEGE PUECELL & CO., 20, PATEICK STEEET. 
 1852, 
 
The Executive Committee think it right to state, that for 
 the statements of facts or opinions contained in the following course 
 of Lectures, the Authors of the several papers alone are responsible. 
 

 INAUGURAL ADDRESS 
 
 DELI-VTIRED BY 
 
 HIS GRACE THE ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN. 
 
 It is, I trust, sufficiently understood that it is not my purpose 
 to deliver one of that course of lectures which it is proposed 
 to have delivered in connexion with the Exhibition, but 
 only to make a few prefatory observations as an introduction 
 to those lectures which are about being delivered by persons 
 more competent, in their respective departments, than myself* 
 It had been arranged by the Committee that one of the 
 proposed lectures should be delivered on this evening, merely 
 prefaced by some introductory observations from me ; but that 
 arrangement has been altered for some reason, and the first 
 lecture, of the course proposed to be delivered, will take place 
 on another evening. But this, you will see, makes no 
 essential difierence in the character of what I have to say • 
 for a preface is still a preface, though it should happen to 
 be printed and bound up in a separate volume. I have not 
 the slightest intention to deliver a lecture, but simply to offer 
 some general remarks, as I was requested to do by the 
 Committee. 
 
 The proposed lectures should be considered as emanating 
 from — as the ofispring of — the National Exhibition ; and, in 
 fact, may be considered as a subsidiary and necessary por- 
 
4 
 
 INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 lion of it. These lectures do not undertake or pretend to 
 give a course of education in any one particular department, 
 any more than the collection of manufactures and articles 
 viewed this day, should be considered as a warehouse, rather 
 than a sample of what nature and art were capable of pro- 
 ducing in this country. Such an exhibition, I take it, would 
 be unfinished and incomplete unless some specimens were 
 also exhibited of what could be done, in the way of instruc- 
 tion, by those whom the country could produce to give that 
 instruction to the nation. Of all the instruments which are 
 exhibited in the collection I have inspected in the course of 
 the day, there is none so important as a good instructor. 
 The flax, growing in the field, is not more different from 
 the finest and most finished cambric than an ignorant man 
 is from a well informed man. The proposed lectures are 
 not intended to furnish full instruction in any one department, 
 but merely as a specimen of what may be done in the way of 
 imparting information — to show what lectures can do to those 
 who are disposed to resort to and profit by them. 
 
 The National Exhibition has not been got up, as far as 
 I can observe and collect, from any spirit of rivalry or 
 jealousy against the Great Exhibition in London last year — 
 but it has been got up in a spirit of honest and laudable 
 emulation ; not to show how well Ireland can get on without 
 England and the rest of the world, but to show how worthy 
 Ireland is to be included in the industrious nations of the 
 world, and how worthy it is to form a portion of the British 
 empire. And as there has been no feeling of jealousy 
 exhibited in getting up this Exhibition, so I hope no feeling 
 of low narrow-mindedness or base jealousy will be excited 
 in England against it. If the English should see as much to 
 be admired as I have seen this day, I conceive the natural 
 effect will be congratulation to the Irish, and increased emu- 
 lation amongst the English. I think I may say that the 
 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 i) 
 
 National Exhibition, if not more admirable than the Great 
 Exhibition, may be called more surprising ^ considering the 
 circumstances under which each was got up. 
 
 What I say respecting Ireland as a part of the British 
 Empire — and my desire has always been to see Ireland con- 
 sidered a worthy member of the Empire — is no new sentiment 
 with me, and has not been taken up for the present occasion, 
 nor since my coming to this country ; but, is the sentiment 
 which my most intimate friends could bear witness of as being- 
 mine from the time I have been able to form an opinion on a 
 public subject. It has always been my wish that Ireland 
 should be considered as a really integral portion of the British 
 empire, and as such admitted to take its place with all the 
 others and not to be considered as a province or a dependency 
 of the empire, but as much a part of it as Yorkshire or any 
 other portion of the Kingdom. I may be mistaken as to 
 what would conduce to the welfare of England and the 
 welfare of this country ; but, there is not an Englishman 
 nor an Irishman who has more at heart the welfare of the 
 Kingdom, or any portion of the British empire than I have. 
 Anc^ it has always appeared to me — if any one thinks me 
 ir' „aken, I trust he will, at all events, accord me credit for 
 sincerity in what I say, — that the narrow policy of separating 
 England from Ireland, and setting forth their interests as 
 inimical and antagonistic, and exciting the feelings of the 
 people against each other, savours of barbarism, and is in 
 effect, bringing them back to the days of the Heptarchy. I 
 would never join in the cry of Ireland for the Irish nor 
 would I join in the cry of England for the English ’’ — which 
 is only the second part of the same tune. If you adopted such 
 a plan, they would then have the cry of “ Cork for Corkmen” 
 and Dublin for Dubliners,” and thus you would be narrow- 
 ing yourselves into cities, and towns, and clans, until all 
 would relapse into a state of semi-barbarism, such as is to be 
 
6 
 
 INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 found in New Zealand and Africa. I am confident that the 
 prosperity of Ireland will always be reflected on England, 
 and that the prosperity and wealth and tranquillity of the 
 latter will reach the former. I have always considered the 
 two countries as two brothers — the best and most useful friends 
 when united ; but the bitterest and worst enemies when 
 disunited. These are not sentiments taken up for the present 
 occasion, but sentiments which I have always felt and 
 expressed openly from the period I was first able to form and 
 express an opinion. 
 
 Lectures, something of the same character, only of a more 
 continuous and prolonged course, and having the character of 
 being in connection with a more permanent institution, than 
 those about being delivered in this hall, were established 
 several years ago at Manchester and also at Edinburgh ; and 
 on the establishment of those lectures, and of a library and 
 museum, I was invited to attend the opening. I did attend 
 at Manchester and subsequently at Edinburgh ; and on both 
 occasions expressed my warm approbation of their proceedings, 
 and a hearty wish for their success ; and for so doing, I and 
 those other persons who had taken a part in the proceedings, 
 were reviled and ridiculed, by a certain portion of the Press, 
 with the bitterest derision. It is not for me to say how far that 
 portion of the Press was actuated by a wish to repress and 
 circumscribe the spread of education among the people ; but, 
 for some reason or another — as I presume there was a reason 
 for doing it — we were most bitterly reviled and maligned. 
 Those who did so put forth grounds in justification of their 
 conduct, which, as far as I could understand them resolved 
 themselves into two reasons. First, they said, this was a plan 
 for imparting knowledge, not necessarily connected with 
 religion and morality, nor under the control or supervision of 
 the teachers of morality and religion ; and as the lecturers were 
 not under the control of spiritual teachers, the more able and 
 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 7 
 
 iustructive these lecturers were', the more they would be 
 enabled to corrupt the mind of the learner, and the more 
 dangerous they might make him. The second objection was 
 to what might be called the dangers of smattering” — the 
 dangers of of a little learning.” They said the people 
 would be the worse for having a slight knowledge — " a little 
 learning” imparted to them. 
 
 On those two objections I shall make a few observations, — 
 The lectures which were established at Manchester and 
 Edinburgh, five or six years ago, like those lectures that are 
 about being established here, did not contain, as a portion 
 of them, moral and religious instruction, and therefore they 
 were represented as dangerous. Now, in all the works 
 1 have written I have warned men against the danger of 
 neglecting a moral and religious education, and against any 
 undue preponderance being given to secular instruction 
 without a duly proportionate attention being devoted to 
 morality and religion. And I pointed out that the same amount 
 of moral and religious cultivation which would be sufficient 
 for a very ignorant clown, should not be considered a fair 
 proportion for those who had received a higher degree of 
 secular cultivation. That which would be the tithe of a small 
 produce should not be offered as tithe of a larger one. But 
 you should remember that while these lectures are being 
 delivered, there is no deficiency of religious and moral 
 instruction elsewhere, be it good or bad. There are ser- 
 mons to be heard from persons of all religious denominations, 
 which are, in fact, lectures on religion and morality, from 
 which persons may, if they so please, derive moral instruc- 
 tion ; and it would be as improper if in those sermons allusion 
 were made to agriculture, chemistry, or the fine arts, as if in 
 lectures on chemistry, agricultui'e, or the fine arts, the lectui*er 
 were to inculcate morality and religion. As to any compulsory 
 system of religious teaching I have always been opposed to it, 
 
8 
 
 IXAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 both on principle and on grounds of expediency. We have 
 no right to force upon any person religious or moral instruc- 
 tion ; for, as Shakespere said of mercy, its quality 
 
 “ is not strained. 
 
 It droppeth like the gentle rain from Heaven, 
 
 Upon the place beneath." 
 
 But all we can do to provide against the danger of neglecting 
 the moral and religious cultivation of the mind, is, to warn 
 man of the danger of such neglect ; and when we have done 
 that, we have done all we can do. It would be useless, and 
 worse than useless, to force moral instruction on a person as a 
 condition of his receiving a secular education. 
 
 But we will be told by some that they wish only secular 
 education to be under the control of those who have the 
 spiritual guidance of the persons receiving such secular 
 education that “ those spiritual directors should have a veto 
 upon everything which has reference to the secular education ; 
 because,” they add, the lecturer on geology might, in the 
 course of his address, insinuate false and mischievous notions 
 in regard to religion and morality ; and therefore the entire 
 control of the secular education should be placed under the 
 guidance and superintendence of the spiritual guides of the 
 people.” Now, as to the danger in question, I will not deny 
 that it is possible for a teacher of some branch of secular learn- 
 ing to introduce false religious notions, and mischievous and 
 dangerous moral principles. But I do not think there is any 
 adequate safeguard against such danger, except to warn 
 men against it, and to tell them to teach merely geology, 
 mathematics, chemistry, agriculture, &c., in their respective 
 departments ; but, in so doing, to take care they do not insinuate 
 anything against religious and moral principles. For if you go 
 beyond this precaution, there is a danger on the opposite 
 side. If you leave the teaching of geology and mathematics to 
 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 9 
 
 the spiritual teachers of the people you may find that these 
 may make as great errors as the others, by teaching false 
 philosophical principles. What a different kind of danger” 
 it may be said. Suppose a man did imbibe some false 
 notions of philosophy — how trifling is this in comparison with 
 his imbibing false religious and dangerous moral principles.” 
 
 May not a man,” they continue, be a good Christian 
 although a bad chemist ? May not a man be a good Christian 
 although he believe the sun goes round the earth.” Now this 
 I hold to be altogether an erroneous view of the case. You 
 will perceive on reflection the danger is nearly the same, and 
 not less, but greater. False philosophical notions indeed 
 conveyed by professors who are the spiritual teachers of the 
 people, if given merely as their own private opinions, as 
 individuals, and not as interwoven with their religious teach- 
 ing, are no greater evil than if taught by any one else. But 
 it is not so with errors in science when represented as 
 connected with religion. Although errors in chemistry and 
 physics are in themselves contemptible when compared with 
 the danger of wrong notions in religion and morality, there 
 is danger of persons being taught certain erroneous notions of 
 philosophy as a part of their religion, and by that means 
 having a lever placed under their religious principles which 
 will upheave and overturn them. True, a man may be a 
 good Christian and a moral man, though he believe the sun 
 moves round the earth. But, suppose that man was taught, 
 as a part of divine revelation, and an essential point of his faith, 
 that the sun really does move round the earth, then, when it 
 is demonstrated to him that such is not the fact, he thus is 
 led to believe that he has got a system of wrong notions as his 
 religious faith, and he will be inclined to doubt it all. 
 
 I will give an instance which came under my own knowledge 
 in the discussion of a question of physical truth as connected 
 with religious and moral truth. There was, some 20 years ago. 
 
10 
 
 INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 a reviewer, who, in a review of a work in the Westminster 
 llevieio, contended it was impossible that any revelation could 
 have been made to man, because, according to the reviewer, 
 in the second book of Chronicles, it appeared from a descrip- 
 tion of the temple, that the Jews did not know that the 
 diameter of a circle differed from a third of its circumference. 
 The answer to this argument is simple. For, first, it was not 
 clear that the Jews ^vere ignorant of the fact that the diameter 
 of a circle differed from a third part of its circumference ; and 
 secondly, even if they were ignorant of that geometrical fact, 
 it did not follow that they could not have had a revelation that 
 the heavens and the earth were made by a Supreme Being. It 
 is not clear that the Jews were ignorant of the geometrical 
 truth ; and the reviewer’s conclusions did not follow even if 
 they were ignorant. We all speak of the rising and the 
 setting of the sun. The reviewer himself would have spoken 
 of the same ; and yet we all know that the sun does not rise 
 or set. The reviewer certainly would not have hesitated to 
 say — go in a straight line from this place to that, and be 
 sure you are there before sunset.” And yet according to his 
 own reasoning from so saying, he would appear to be ignorant 
 of the globular form of the earth, as well as of the Copernican 
 system of astronomy. How absurd and pedantic it would be 
 to say — go in a geodesic line from this place to that, and 
 be sure you are there before that portion of the earth is 
 withdrawn from the sun’s rays.” 
 
 But, now, take a different view of the case. Suppose a 
 teacher of theology had taken up the above notion, and being 
 a bad mathematician, had insisted that they were bound to 
 take it as a part and parcel of the Christian revelation, that 
 the diameter was treble the circumference, w^hat would be the 
 consequence ? Simply that a student learning Euclid would 
 fancy he had got a mathematical demonstration of the falsity 
 of the Bible. 
 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 11 
 
 All the security we can have from the clangers on both 
 sides^ is to put the people on their guard against them, and 
 say, let no person go beyond his own department.” Look 
 in the Scriptures for religious instruction ; and, above all, let 
 the theologian be always warned to teach his people, that 
 a true religion has nothing to fear, and can have nothing 
 to fear, from a full and searching investigation of nature — that 
 false and pretended religions may be overthrown from facts 
 brought to light, but that true religion is confirmed by 
 enlightenment and investigation. It comes from the Author 
 of Nature, and He cannot contradict himself. Two great 
 volumes are placed before us — the book of nature and the 
 book of Kevelation, and as they came from the same Author, 
 they cannot contradict each other. We should learn to read 
 them both aright. 
 
 Another objection which is urged against this system of 
 lecturing, is in the words of the Poet — 
 
 “ A little learning is a dangerous thing." 
 
 That is an objection frequently urged, and I acknowledge 
 the existence of the danger. I admit that with a little 
 learning” people are likely to be puffed up with vanity — to 
 consider themselves above laborious work — and to become 
 discontented at not being honored as the very accomplished 
 persons they consider themselves. I do not deny the danger. 
 But the poet adds as a remedy — 
 
 “ Drink deep or taste not." 
 
 I think on reflection you will perceive that both of these 
 remedies drink deep ” and taste not,”' are impossible. 
 
 drink deep” ! How deep are they to go ? Is not the 
 most learned man, even in any department to which he may 
 have completely devoted himself, extremely ignorant in 
 reference to the subject itself? He may have gone very 
 deep” in comparison with some of his neighbours, but still 
 

 INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 is he not very ignorant when his knowledge is compared 
 with that which he does 7iot know ? Five centuries ago, a man 
 went more deep ” than the generality, "who could read. 
 The gigantic telescope, which is such an honor to this 
 country, has brought to light wonders, in astronomy, that 
 go far beyond anything w’ith which we were previously 
 acquainted ; showing that the astronomers who “ drank 
 deep,” three centuries ago, were mere children when com- 
 pared to those who lived a century since, and that those again 
 w'ere children to those who have followed them. It is 
 impossible to have more than a very ** little learning” in 
 comparison to what we have to remain ignorant of. As, in 
 making a clearing in an American forest, the more trees you 
 fell, the wider is the prospect of surrounding wood, so, the 
 more we learn, the more we perceive of what is yet unlearnt. 
 A man may indeed attain a very great and a very deep” 
 degree of learning in comparison of his neighbours ; but, is 
 he, therefore, the less likely to be self-conceited and puffed 
 up ? But if by drink deep” is meant, learn modesty, there 
 cannot be a better admonition, or one in which I would more 
 heartily concur. 
 
 I would, therefore, say, the first recommendation of 
 the poet — drink deep” — is impracticable. The other — 
 taste not” — that is to say, have no learning, is equally 
 impossible. The most ignorant clown knows something ; and 
 knows something that is often dangerous. You will not 
 find in the most remote part of Ireland, a peasant who does 
 not know what money is ; who does not know the difference 
 between a penny and a half crown, and even between a half 
 crown and gold. But it is possible that this same peasant 
 may think that the rich are the cause of all the sufferings 
 of the poor ; and that if the rich were to be plundered of 
 their property and massacred, the people would be better off. 
 This shews the danger of a little knowledge ; but now the 
 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 13 
 
 peasantry may learn a little more ; I am happy to say, in the 
 class books of the National schools, they may learn that the 
 rich are a benefit to their country, and that if they were 
 destroyed, the country would be worse off than before. There 
 is no one in this assembly, although I believe I am surrounded 
 by persons of erudition and high attainments, who is not 
 with respect to many branches of knowledge — in the perilous 
 position of having a little learning.” I suppose that although 
 not many of you are profound agriculturists, you all know the 
 difference between a crop of turnips and a crop of oats. 
 Although there may not be a dozen chemists in the room, I am 
 sure you all could tell the difference between salts and sugar. 
 And it is very possible, and also very useful, to have that 
 slight smattering of chemistry which will enable one to distin- 
 guish from the salts used in medicine, the oxalic acid, with 
 which, through mistake, several persons have been poisoned. 
 Again, without being an eminent botanist, a person may 
 know — what it is most important to know — the difference 
 between cherries and the berries of the deadly Night-shade ; 
 the want of which knowledge has cost many lives. 
 
 Again, there is no one present, even of those who are not 
 profound politicians, who is not aware that we have rulers ; 
 and is it not proper that he should understand that government 
 is necessary to preserve our lives and property ? Is he likely 
 to a be worse subject for knowing that? That depends very 
 much on the kind of government you wish to establish. If 
 you wish to establish an unjust and despotic government — or, 
 if you wish to set up a false religion, — then it would be advisa- 
 ble to avoid the danger of enlightening the people. But if 
 you wish to maintain a good government, the more the people 
 understand the advantages of good government, the more 
 they will respect it ; and the more they know of true religion, 
 the more they will value it. 
 
 There is nothing more general among uneducated people 
 
14 
 
 INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 than a disposition to Socialism^ and yet nothing more injurious 
 to their own welfare. An equalization of wages would be 
 most injurious to themselves, for it would, at once, destroy all 
 emulation, — all motives for the acquisition of skill, and for 
 superior industry, would be removed. All the manufactures 
 in the Exhibition would be utterly destroyed by the equali- 
 zation of wages. 
 
 Now it is but a Utile knowledge of political economy that 
 is needed for the removal of this error ; but that little is 
 highly useful. 
 
 Again, every one knows, no matter how ignorant of 
 medicine, that there is such a thing as disease. But as an 
 instance of the impossibility of the taste not” recommenda- 
 tion of the poet, I will mention a fact, which perhaps is 
 known to you all. When the cholera broke out in Poland, 
 the peasantry of that country took it into their heads that the 
 nobles were poisoning them in order to clear the country of 
 them ; they believed the rich to be the authors of that terri- 
 ble disease ; and the consequence was that the peasantry rose 
 ill masses, broke into the houses of the nobility, and finding 
 some chloride of lime, which had been used for the purpose 
 of disinfecting, they took it for the poison which had caused 
 the disease, and they murdered them. Now, that was the 
 sort of a little learning” which was very dangerous. 
 
 Again, you cannot prevent people from believing that 
 there is some superhuman Being who has an interest in human 
 affairs. Some clowns in the Weald of Kent, who had been 
 kept as much as possible on the taste not” system, left in a 
 state of gross ignorance, — yet believed that the Deity did 
 impart special powers to certain men : and that belief, coupled 
 with excessive stupidity, led them to take an insane fanatic 
 for a prophet. In this case, this little learning” actually 
 caused an insurrection in his favour, in order to make him 
 king, priest and prophet of the British empire ; and many lives 
 
INAL’GURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 15 
 
 were sacrificed before this insane insurrection was put down. 
 If a little learning” is a dangerous thing,” you will 
 have to keep people in a perfect state of idiotcy in order to 
 avoid that danger. I would, therefore, say that both the 
 recommendations of the poet are impracticable. 
 
 The question arises what are we to do? Simply, to 
 impress upon all people to labour to hnoio how little their 
 learning is ; how little in comparison to what they remain 
 ignorant of, they know. And the more they are taught, the 
 less likely they will be to overrate or mistake the character of 
 their learning. Other things being equal, the more widely 
 knowledge is diffused among mankind, the less danger there 
 is of an ill-use being made of it. For what is more mischievous 
 to the tranquillity of a country than a clever, unprincipled, 
 patriot” demagogue, who makes use of a number of ignorant 
 and uncultivated people as his tools. He gets the people to 
 believe in him as a patriot, a guide, perhaps a prophet, and 
 they will do anything — commit any extravagances that he 
 may direct. Who ever heard of an educated rabble ? Who 
 ever heard of such a thing as a riotous mob consisting of men 
 of cultivated minds ? Such a thing is impossible ; for each 
 would be thinking for himself, and all would be generals. The 
 more widely, therefore, you diffuse intellectual culture, the 
 greater is your chance of a peaceable, and well ordered com- 
 munity. A little light is only dangerous to those who walk 
 boldly on in the twilight — to those who do not see where they 
 tread. But, I would say, seek not to remedy the danger by 
 blinding the eyes. 
 
 Some persons, however, are not so much afraid of those wFo 
 have but a little knowledge, as of what are called smatterers ; — 
 persons who are puffed up on account of their having learnt 
 certain hard words — certain scientific and technical terms : 
 from having attended lectures on what they have been pleased 
 to term the various ologies” — geology, biology, chronology, 
 
IG 
 
 INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 ornithology — which enable the smatterers to move along in 
 society, as if they were well informed on all the ologies.” I 
 admit this danger too, and have often pointed it out. But 
 there is another danger — that of a scorn for all science, — for 
 all systematic knowledge, combined with a self-sufficient confi- 
 dence in what is called common sense and experience. And 
 this danger, though not so often pointed out, is as great, if 
 not greater than that to which I have alluded, and far more 
 hopeless. There are men -who depend on 'Hheir experience” 
 and their common sense” for everything — who are con- 
 tinually obtruding what may be called the pedantry of their 
 experience” and their common sense” on the most abstruse 
 subjects. They meet all scientific and logical argument with 
 common sense tells me I am right” — and, my every day’s 
 
 experience confirms me in the opinion I have formed.” If 
 they are spoken to of Political Economy, they will immediately 
 reply — Ah, I know nothing of the dreams of Political 
 Economy” (this is the very phrase I have heard used) — I never 
 studied it — I never troubled myself about it ; but there are 
 some points upon which I have made up my mind, such as 
 the question of Free Trade and Protection and Poor Laws.’ 
 ‘ I do not profess’ — a man will perhaps say — to know anything 
 of Medicine, or Pharmacy, or Anatomy, or any of those 
 things ; but I know by experience that so and so is wholesome 
 for sick people.” 
 
 In former times men knew by experience that the earth 
 stands still, and the sun rises and sets. Common sense taught 
 them, that there could be no antipodes, since men could not 
 stand with their heads downwards, like flies on the ceiling. 
 Experience taught the King of Bantam that water can never 
 become solid. And — to come to the case of human affairs — 
 the experience and common sense of the most intelligent of 
 the Eoman historians, Tacitus, taught him that for a mixed 
 government to be established, combining the elements of 
 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
 
 17 
 
 Koyalty, aristocracy and democracy would be next to impos- 
 sible ; and tbat if it were established, it must speedily be 
 dissolved. Yet had he lived to the present day, he would 
 have learned that the establishment and continuance of such 
 a form of government was not impossible. So much for 
 experience ! The experience of some persons resembles the 
 learning of a man who has turned over the pages of a great 
 many books without ever having learned to read : and their 
 so-called common- sense is often in reality, nothiug else than 
 common prejudice. 
 
 "W e may rest assured then, that those who affect to dread 
 and despise what they call a smattering of science, and trust 
 to experience and common-sense, have no security against 
 error, or against presumptuous confidence in error, if they 
 are deficient in real sound judgment and in modesty ; and 
 icith these qualities, no one wdl he in danger of self-sufiiciency 
 and pedantry from the acquisition of scientific truth, he it 
 much or little. 
 
 Be not deterred therefore, I would say, by the dread of 
 being called smatterers, from seeking a little knowledge 
 where more is not within your reach : only take care not to 
 over-estimate your knowledge, be it small or great. 
 
 These Lectures will never, I am convinced, deter any one 
 from reading, and from studying systematically what he 
 would, but for these Lectures, have so studied. They are 
 more likely to incite some to read and inquire concerning 
 subjects to which they might otherwise have never given a 
 thought. And to all, the little knowledge they may impart 
 may prove useful in various ways, and not least in giving 
 them some notion of the vast amount remaining behind of 
 knowledge which they have not acquired. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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The Lectiu'e Committee feel boimd in justice to the author, 
 to state, that the preceding pages, which have been transcribed with 
 some important corrections from the reports of the local press, afford 
 still an incomplete notion of his Grace’s Inaugiu-al Address. Much 
 valuable matter was omitted by the Eeporters, and his Grace’s more 
 pressing avocations have prevented him from supplying the omissions, 
 as well as from coiTCcting the style of what is preserved. A special 
 Eeporter has been engaged for such of the subsequent Lecturers as 
 may not furnish the Committee with an authorized manuscript. 
 
1 
 
 1 III ill 1 1 III III III 
 
 
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